Category: Mindfulness
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noted.
Noted The sounds of the chickens next door remind me of a morning I woke up in Africa. There are chickens all over the world, of course, but the gentle clucks of the ones in Ilmamen, Kenya all those years ago are the ones I listened and paid attention to, soaking in every sensory detail…
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children’s books for mental health awareness month
May is Mental Health Awareness Month! I keep hearing disturbing stats about the recent decline in mental health for kids, teens, and adults. Of course, there are many ways we must address this individually and collectively, but these are some really beautiful books to support children’s mental health. They cover topics such as anxiety, depression,…
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a most beautiful thing
Today I saw the most beautiful thing.I walked back to the creekwhere I had seen the turtles and ducksjust the other day—the turtles and ducks that saved usat the beginning of the pandemic,when the whole worldturned upside down.I stood on the bridge,peering over the railing.No turtles.No ducks.Perhaps it has gotten too cold,I thought,which sent my…
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invitation to the unburdening
Image text: Enneagram work reveals how the weight of our armor has become more crushing than the things from which it was protecting us. Increased awareness is the beginning of the unburdening. Our personality is a gift that has allowed us to protect ourselves, but as we mature, we may begin to see that it…
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Holy Drudgery
“Anything can become a spiritual practice once you are willing to approach it that way—once you let it bring you to your knees and show you what is real…” -Barbara Brown Taylor, An Altar in the World When I’m anxious, I make my way to the laundry area before I even realize it. I watch…
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Breaking pedestals
We can’t have authentic relationships with others until they fall off the pedestals we constructed and are allowed to be human. Enneagram 6s tend to look for external authorities to follow or rebel against because we don’t trust ourselves. The natural consequence is that we sometimes need more from others than what they can or…
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judgment vs. compassion
Judgement shuts down vulnerability, but compassion paves the way for connection, which is the antidote to shame. Years ago, I was part of a small group where we were encouraged to share our struggles so we could support and pray for one another. I don’t remember the specific thing I shared (probably my struggle with…
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who were you before you learned to protect yourself?
Enneagram wisdom teaches that our personalities developed early on in our lives as a way for us to cope with hard things. No matter how ideal childhood may have been, we all enter a messy, imperfect world where we hurt and are hurt by others. Our personalities were good and helpful gifts that helped us…
Lindsay L. O'Connor 